The T1 Service Ordering Process Unveiled

As we mentioned in an earlier post, many customers are likely surprised to learn that service order rejections are a common delay in the order process. In an effort to help lower the number of rejected service orders, we discussed the start of the ordering process and covered the first three pieces of information required to facilitate your order through your carrier’s system: your business name, location where your new t1 service will be installed, and the DMARC, or Demarcation Point. This week, we will conclude the ordering process and cover the last three pieces of required information: the on-site telephone number, on-site contact, and the technical bits and pieces.

Providing an on-site telephone number is often misconstrued. For starters, carriers do not ask for an on-site phone number because they want to contact the client, but so they can determine which Central Office (CO) should be used to service them, and/or to verify the location address. Analog POTS (which stands for Plain Old Telephone Service) line or a fax number is preferred, so they can obtain a Local Exchange Carrier-issued number for authentication.

If they do need to contact the client, the carrier will call the person who was designated as the on-site contact on the order. This can be anyone – not just the IT guy or gal – who works from that site that can provide access (unlock doors, gates, etc.) and show the dispatched technician where the circuit should be installed. Whether it’s the secretary, intern, maintenance person, or property-owner, it is imperative that the on-site contact has access and is available.

Last but not least, the technical stuff. This covers a multitude of things, including what product it is that you want, how it should be configured, if any numbers are porting, what the protocols should be, if there are faxes – the list goes on. This is one of the most complex aspects of the ordering process, so we will go into more detail in a future post; but it is important to know that if you do not know this information you will need to recruit either the current carrier or the equipment vendor to collect it.

There you have it – the six key pieces of information required to facilitate your t1 service order through your carrier’s system. As we said before, every carrier will differ in the paperwork needed to service your order, but the basic information is generally the same. Good luck and happy ordering!

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